Platform-gate for railway-cars



(No Model.) 4 s Sheet-Shet 1. J. P. HARRISON.

PLATFORM GATBFOR RAILWAY (JARS.

Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

WITNESSES .dttorney N PEIERS. Phowlilhugmpher, Walllingtun. 0.1:.

(No Model.) a sheets-sheet 2. J. P. HARRISON.

PLATFORM GATE FOB. RAILWAY CARS.

No. 339,171. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

Attorney M Q clam N. PETERS, PhMb-Lilhugrzlphur. Wmhingioru Q (Nb'Mod'eL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. J. PHARRISON.

PLATFORM GATE FOR. RAILWAY CARS.

No. 339,171. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

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vitturney Ilarrnn TATES PATENT OFFICE. I

JAMES P. HARRISON, OF DANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

PLATFORM-GATE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,171, dated April 6,1886.

Application filed July 20,1885. Serial No. 172,131. (No model.)

A a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same,

reference being had to the accompanying draw lngs, in which Figure 1 is a view of an end of a car with my invention attached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the end of a car, showing the platformgate closed. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the end of a car,showing the platform-gate opened. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the hollow post and gate-bars closed down. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the sustaining and locking bar to secure the free end of the gate-bars and a sec tion thereof on line y y. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the car and devices for operating the gate bars and locks, the brakes being on and the gates open.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the exit and entry openings of railroad and other cars may be controlled throughout a train by the engineer or other selected train-hand, so that no danger can arise by passengers being tempted to leave or board a moving train, the entrances to the cars being closed throughout the train at the moment of starting.

All warnings of employs and signs have been found practically of no avail in preventing heedless passengers from being injured and killed in and by careless performances around railroad-cars. Therefore it becomes necessary to control passengers by gates or other barriers to prevent them reaching aposi tion or condition dangerous to life and limb. Were gates placed in the ordinary way at the steps of each platform there would be required an employ at each end of each car to open and close such gates. This would involve an expense detrimental to the dividends of a railroad company, and not, therefore, liable to be so worked.

My invention overcomes such objections; and it consists in a system or series of movable or swinging gates attached to the exit and entry openings of railroad and other cars in combination with connecting devices throughout the train whereby the gates to the cars of the entire train will be simultaneously closed or opened from one specified point by one train-hand, preferably the engineer.

My invention further consists in the sundry details of construction hereinafter described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is the bed or frame of the car, and B the platform. From the outer edge of the platform on each side there is removed one ofthe ordinary stanchions used to support the hand-rail, and in their places are set or bolted to the platform hollow posts G, provided with a slot, a, on the side next to the car-body and slotted lumps or projections a, forming bearings for pivots b, on which swing vertically-moving bars d d, which con stitute the gate proper. Integral with the bars d and projecting beyond the pivots b are short crank-levers b, to the rear ends of which, at d d d is pivoted avertical pull-bar, D, the lower end of which is pivoted to one arm of a bell-crank, D, swung in a hanger, e, secured beneath the platform. The inner ends of the inner arms of bell-crank levers D are pivoted to sliding bars D", moving in eyes or hangers beneath the platform, and in turn these bars D are pivoted to the arms E E of a toggle-lever, having a central pivot, f, to which is secured an operating bar or rod, F, passing to the pistonrod of the aircylinder of the automatic brake, in this instance, for illustration, the Eames airbrake. The rod F is moved back and forth by the air-cylinder piston, and this, obviously, through the toggle-lever, bars D, bell-crank levers D, and pull-bar D raises and lowers the bars (I so as to alternately close and open the entrances to the platforms, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. \Vhen the bars d are raised across the platform, it is necessary to secure their free ends and give stability to the gate while the brakes are off. This is accomplished by means of a slotted casting, G, secured to the exterior of the wall of the car in line opposite the movement of the bars (1. For fear that the free ends of the bars may be deflected from entering the holding-slot 9, sections of the slot g are flared, as shown, so as to guide the end of the bar into slot 9 as the arc of the movement of the free end of the bar approaches termination. The ends of the bars then pass over spring-bolts 11, having beveled faces h andlu'gs h, behind which moves an unlockingbar, H, which slides in ways in casting G, and is provided with a series of wedged-shaped sections, 4; i, lying behind' lugs h, so that an upward movement of the bar H will cause the bolts to recede and liberate the ends of bars d. The unlocking bar is caused to move upward by means of a wire rope or cord, i, which passes over a sheave, j, and down over another sheave, j, to the lever attached to the air-cylinder piston-rod. In thelengths of the wires or cords i at some point are interposed springs k, to give the operation of the cords a yielding or elastic movement.

I am aware it is not broadly new to operate a series of car-platform gates from one point in the train bya pneumatic device, and I make no claim, broadly, to such mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. A series of gates or similar structures attached to the platforms of railroad or other cars, in combination with a pneumatic-brake system and intermediate connecting devices, whereby the operation of the pneumatic brakes opens and closes the said gates simultaneously with the movement of the brakeshoes, substantially as set forth.

2. The car-platform gate consisting of a series of pivoted bars, d, arranged to move in a vertical are, substantially as described.

3. The hollow slotted post 0, secured to the platform, in combination with the pivoted ver tically-swinging bars d, and devices, substantially as described, for operating said bars, for the purpose specified.

4. The gate consisting of the verticallymoving pivoted bars (2, in combination. with a series of automatic locking devices, h h, to secure the free ends of the bars, substantially as set forth.

5. The casting G, provided with the slot cut with flaring sections to guide the free ends of bars 11 to place, substantially as described.

6. The casting G, in combination with the spring locking-bolts h, and the unlockingbar H, provided with the'wedge shaped sections i i, and means for automatically operating said unlocking-bar, for the purpose set forth;

7. The slotted post 0, in which is pivoted bars d d, provided with the slotted lumps or projections a a,'to steady the bars in their oscillation, as specified.

8. The pivoted bars (1 d, in combination with connectingbars D, bell-crank levers D, toggle-joint D E, and rod F, to connect said toggle-joint to the operating-lever of the aircylinder N of the brake system, substantially as set forth.

9. The locking-bolts h, provided with lugs h, and their case, in combination with bar H provided with wedge-shaped projections z z, cord 2', and interposed spring 75, to connect said bar H to the brake system, for the purpose described.

JAMES P. HARRISON. 

